Telford Cheerleader from CheerUnleashed sports gym joins world-first paralympic showcase

Zoe Witham, a coach and athlete at the Telford-based club CheerUnleashed, has successfully passed a rigorous classification to join Team ParaCheer GB.

The squad will debut a landmark routine at the ICU World Championships, serving as a high-performance research project to demonstrate how the sport could look on a Paralympic stage.

For Zoe, the journey to the world stage is a testament to resilience. Nearly three years ago, her athletic career was thrown into uncertainty following a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Overcoming the Odds

The diagnosis came after Zoe experienced frightening bouts of numbness in her hand and both legs.

The physical toll forced her to step down from her competition team, missing the remainder of the season and facing the heartbreaking possibility that she might never be able to "stunt" - the acrobatic lifting and tossing of athletes - again.

However, with the support of the NHS and access to effective medication, Zoe didn't just return to the mats at CheerUnleashed; she excelled.

"She came to terms with the possibility of never being able to stunt again," says her husband and fellow coach, Craig Witham. "Fast forward to now, and she is not only back on a competition team but has passed classification for this historic global project."

A Vision for the Paralympics

The Paralympic Cheerleading Project is an initiative managed by Rick Rodgers and Chantal Epp under the UK charity Cheer for Everyone.

While "Adaptive Abilities" cheerleading - which mixes disabled and non-disabled athletes - has existed for a decade, this specific project is a prototype consisting entirely of athletes with Paralympic-eligible impairments.

If the International Paralympic Committee eventually accepts the sport, it would be unique: the only discipline allowing athletes of all genders and various sport classes to compete together on a single team. Expanding access for athletes with disabilities and driving global inclusion by supporting the ICU in positioning cheerleading for opportunities at the Paralympic Games.

The Road to Florida

Zoe is one of just nine athletes selected for the showcase. The team has spent the last year at multiple facilities around the Midlands regiondeveloping adaptive techniques to manage balance and choreography without losing the elite, fast-paced nature of the sport.

The Team ParaCheer GB athletes heading to the World Championships are: Zoe Witham, Emma Pitt, Erin Ackerley, Abbie Harrington, Fay James, Gemma Stevenson, Staci Gilbert, Annalise Powell, and Paul Connor.

The squad is supported by five coaches, half of whom are disabled themselves, ensuring the routine is shaped by lived experience.